Method of and apparatus for forming plate glass



GE HOWARD METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING iLATE GLASS F' iled Dec.27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR GEORGE E. HOWARD Sept. 11, 1928.1,6849% (3. E. HOWARD METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING PLATE GLASS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I r 52 i I I Z8 R INVENTOR cendisien partie'iiy chii'ienHewevezgemeh we temperature.

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we giaes sheet 'ie @zeceme eus semm y-ite 2. mean we um um A ie 1 g2.)?" 1 he m0 W541 153% iei "mm ceu'rse, timing}: the e 01351 pass $0ei'her 1 so that the nemefa end than the apposite end of the piaie esultthat he late is qu'ieedy sneve t'i into a 19b1, is eufiemmfy, is ugeveneenditien pkeseni mising rmmumferm tension between various 7) 4 sheetand nen-unifermi'fiy in tempefaiure as between perizien-s. in wereeme everieus pertiense' when e Zeke, the sheet mi bfie-ti '50 ie the tableuntil 1 is were nearly eepmximates in; A e -ebieliy :fmt'me end thereefbeen pep it has keen mT-lefii i; shat hoyyer ezad. 01% the meme Jimeeeei mare mpldl y .ei end after i has 'rjeeeme is a mere make-shift and@313] ten is Lenard approximation of the fiesire'i remit it beingimpossib'ie, from a preefiieei sizapclpmnk, to permit a sheet to remainupon the :tebie until it has ceded to ordinary atmespherie periofl ofthe the proy invention has 50? :ereby m;

visidn of a methad and a termit'tenfly reliec'i, sheets into the lenf:in such that each alate q, subswte'abi & eles.

Some cf the means by which my invention may, be practiced is m-Wn inassumih'awing, "wherein. Figure 1 213a plan View 05? a casting tebE-eemf a warmer; mi 53. Eek-r peeks ef m time is -he table. I andsufficlent time havmg elapsed; ta permxt ri'ii 35153533.

,,@i021a1 ViGW 0f the 3ppaand 5' is a. View taken en 035 Fig 0m showingthe fee 12'; operative Yelative to She "Earring w L figs. 1 and 2, showa eeseifig, whleh may be 011' somewhat usuai a 0f file table normafiysu'pperiei by a bracket 81 but has connection with & piungel" "onneeiedto a piston which e t emtes in a. cylinder to raise the table t0 theposiitien i rlieaised by the eflei fines in Fig; :2, as miter expiameci.

Forwm 13, of the "azfbie prmide a. iehi 131 whieh may be of the usual 1302213. At the em h nce t0 the Eel 1', K weevide an apron wiaieh ishollow, andis provided with ope-m ings aim-ugh which 21 beefing-erending medie mm be intrmiucel t0 cenmfi temperam-e oi" the glasspreviews iizs izr-te 55616! Above apmn "1% I 'ilarough "which a heating;02. 1003121 5 F'aefiium may he mtremzeed. as in 0;? me A wave-7201 belt16 1s airmen m 512113 inte through the ifihl" 11..

hen a mass of glass has been depesite-fi "the mbie 6, as ine ficeee'i at1?, the tame 11 heme-0mm posiaion, a sheet-farming is a :mss the tableto spread file ems form a sheet 19. The 12011: moves remwarflly of thetable and! may be mliefi'upon the bracket 8, so as to be clear of W14211 the roller 18 0w; 0f the Way,

the silt-197519 to set, fluid pressure is admitted to the 'iower end ofthe cylinder 10 to elevate the rem end of the table 6 to the "pesitionindicated by dotted lines. 'ihereu' mn the edges of file sheet aregrasped by tongs 20m in any other suit-2111a mannen to move the sheetfor e l-(Hy ini'o engzy emenfi with the beitlSI tilting the table servesehiefi'y'tcpermit the sheet, to be mere easily aflvancefl. and? also topermib it to advanced Whfle all p0r- (dens thereof are still plastic. Iis customwv to cover the table with dry sand facifim sliding oi thesheet into the le'hl anfi i may prefer b0 anew the ta'hie to remainh0rizeniai during such iiransfei'.

X22 mivaneing the sheet is the lehl' 0e16,, I

tinuously at the some rate of speed at which to permit the bloc-i e itwas rolled, I may find it convenient to mlvuncc the sheet by stages. Forinstance, one stage of movement may bring the for- Word end. of thesheet to the pointa, and an- .thcr stage of movement-may bring such endto the point e, there being as many intermediate as desirable orconvenient. However; it is highly important that the rate of speed atwhich the plate is advanced into "the lie r is proportionate to the fateat which it was rolled.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 5, ll show a SllGBi-fOl'Hliil Q roll 18*, atable 6, a. lclnll, and con'rcyer belt 16. lill'lf-JU parts may be allof substantially the form oi the corres onding'prirts of Figs. 1 exceptthat the table 6 is shown rigidly llUlll'll'l lli Plates of gloss areformed upon the table 6 as on the table 6., but instead of advancing the'zletes Ly tongs, provide at pair of feed rollers 22 at each edge of thetable. These feed rollers ere i'noui'itcd in be; :34 that are in turr'iivi'itully siu iported upon. slides J The slides are connected tpiston rods 26 t-l'uit are actuated by fiuid-prcssure cylinders 27 tomore the slides and the feed rollers corr' d thereby toward and awayfrom the ed oi ihc sheet i The edg- 5 oi. the table hare cut outportions 28 .5 i into which table augments or blocks 29 may be moved sothat their top surfaces are flush with the top surface of the table.'llhe blocks 23.3 are mounted upon pistone that operate within cylinders30, so that the locks may be raised to and lowered from operativeposit-ion as desired.

With the blocks in their upj icru'iost posiions and the rollersretracted, shown in l lo. 3, Y1; pot of glass may be poured upon ibleand rolled lo sheet form. When s has become sulliciently the .iiuid eexhausted 'l'roi'n the cyliniflers 30, to move down. Fluid pressure isthen mounted to the cylinders 27 to advance the slides: 25, carrying therollers "ion shown in Fig: At L-lllS lni'wen'ient, the liner nc rollers22 held in expanded position by tension springs 31, that exert P.tilting force upon the :rolle"s. As the roll-- move inwurdl n shoulders32 that engage the e i one rollers oi" l. l. l vi react nicniocis So, to1110M) .ngs end each pair towiird each ollicr ugainet the tension of thespring 31, and into engagement with the edges of the plate 19. Therollers are driven from telescopic shafts 3%, that are provided withuniversal joints 35, and with long-toothed gear wheels 86 that are mounted on the shafts of the rollers.

The rollers 22 will have a peripheral speed approximating andproportionate to the rate at which the sheet was rolled by the roller18. The conveyer belt 16 may either be driven intermittently, so that itwill advance a transferred plate of glass only during: operation ofthofecd rollers 22, or it may be operated at a continuous slow speed.

It will be seen that when the forward end of the sheet first encountersthe lehr bolt 16 the friction between the belt and the plate will beinsufiicicnt to excrt a substantial ad vancing force on the glassplate,- because a greater portion of the weight oi. the plate is restingupon the table, with consequent greator friction between the plate andthe table than is present between the plate and the lehr belt. d/Vhcnsubstantially hall" of the plate has entered upon the lchr belt, I mayscparate the rolls from driving; engagement with he sheet, by admittingfluid pressure to the inner ends of the cylinders 27, thus with drawingthe member 25 and permitting the springs 3i. to expend the rolls 22.

Viewing the foregoing as two stage inetliod ia) the stage of rolling,and Z2) the stage of transferring; during the first stage, the firstformed end of lZllO'SllGQiJ is exposed to cooling contact with the tableand with the atmosphere for a longer period of time than the last formedend thereof. During the operation of transfer to the lehr, that end ofthe sheet which wascxposed for a longer period is exposed for eproportionately shorter period and the last formed and exposed for aplUl'XJ-l'tlOIlfllOlY longer period, thus, so far as cooling environmentas between the dii'lcrent portions of the sheet is concerned, theconditions during transfer are the re verse of those present during thestage of rolling.

By my method ll an) enabled to introduce r. plate into the lehr, Withoutthe necessity of passing ii; through a series of temperaturecontrollingdevices. In such prior art devicesthis has been considered necessaryowing to the widely varying dili'erences in term perature as betweenvarious portions of the plate at the time it is removed from the table.By my method, I auton'iatica-lly secure the ell'cct of equalization oftemperature, which eliminates the expense of additional equipmerit andlabor.

I. claim as my invention 1. Tue method which comprises rolling a plateof glass upon a table While the latter a lehr, with its first formedportion foremost,

. at a rate of speed dependent upon the rate plate of glass upon ,asheet of glass,

at which the sheet was rolled.

2. The method which comprises rolling a a table while the latter ,isstationary, and advancing the plate into a lehr with its first formedportion foremost, at a rate of speed proportional to the rate at whichthe sheet was-Colled.

3. Sheet'glass handling apparatus comprising a table having a segmentalportion that is movable to permitof erigagementby s'heiet advancingmembers with that part of the glass which-wassupported by said segmentalportion.

4. Sheet glass handling apparatus comprising a table having a removablesegmental portion at one edge thereof, members for advancin the sheet,and means for moving said 'mem ers into engagement with the glass whensaid segmental portion is removed.

5. Sheet glass handling apparatus, com prising a table having aremovable segmental portion at one edge thereof, members for ad vancingthe sheet, and means for moving sai members into grippingengagement withthe glass When said segmental portion is removed.

6. Glass handling apparatus,"comprising a pair of feed rolls forengaging an .edge of means for moving said rolls in a direction parallelto the plane of the glass,

and means for simultaneously moving said rolls relative to one anotherin a direction transversely of said plane.

7. Sheet glass handling apparatus, comprising a pair of feed rolls, abearing for each of said rolls, means for driving said rolls, means forshifting the position of said bearings as a unit, and means forsimultaneously moving said bearings relative to one another to varyrolls.

8. Sheet glass prising a support the distance between the handlingapparatus comfor, the glass, 'a device for advancing the glass, andmeans for moving.

said device into'and out of driving en agement with the glass,indirections parallel to and transversely of the; plane of the sheet ofglass. a

9. Sheet glass 1 handling apparatus comprising a support for the glass,9, pair of feed rollers mounted for oscillation in a plane transverse tothe plane of the glass, means for yieldably holding said rollers inexpanded position, "means for shifting said rollers in a directionparallel to the plane of the sheet, and means for moving said rollers inopposition to said yieldable means, driving engagement thereof with theglass.

Signed at Butler, Pa;, this 11th dayiof December, 1926. GEORGE E.HOWARD.

in order to effect

